North Adams Eyes CDBG Funds for Accessibility Survey

The city is proposing to use $35,000 to begin a study of the public safety building's ADA issues.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is planning to use $35,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to initiate Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at the public safety building.

A citizen's complaint over the lack of handicapped accessibility at the police station more than four years ago sparked an order by the U.S. Department of Justice to bring the city's public facilities into ADA compliance.

The City Council in 2013 approved $250,000 in borrowing to begin the work on items that could be done in house — bathrooms, signs, ramps and doorknobs. Total cost for compliance is estimated at $1 million.

Director of Community Development Michael Nuvallie on Monday said the public safety building is "the biggest ADA challenge that the city faces."

The aging public safety building on American Legion Drive houses the Police and Fire departments.

The CDBG funds will be used to hire an architect firm well versed in ADA compliance to survey the building, which has no handicap accessibility, said Nuvallie at Monday's public hearing on the use of this year's federal funds.

"We identify CDGB as a smart way to go after and start chipping away at these projects we have to do to make our assets handicapped compliant," he said.

He added that he anticipates that next year’s CDBG grants will focus on the actual improvements of the building.

Mayor Richard Alcombright said that although much work has been done to make the city's buildings compliant, the police and fire station remain the main focus.

"It's been a long road, but we have made some significant progress," the mayor said. "The end of this thing is the big chunk which is the public safety building."

Nuvallie said five social services will also benefit from the CDBG money. He said $65,000 will be split five ways and each agency will receive $13,000.

"Sixty-five thousand dollars doesn't seem to go a long way, but if you give five agencies $13,000 that's S13,000 that they don't have," he said.

He added another $148,000 from the grant funds will be used for general administration to help pay for salaries, overhead costs, and the expenses of the development office. The bulk of the $825,000 grant will be used toward the ongoing Armory renovation.

Last year the city received $900,000; this year, the grant was cut by $75,000.

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Nearly 100 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.